Sometimes I worry that I've lost the plot. My twitchin' muscles tease my flippant thoughts.
I never really dreamed of heaven much until we put him in the ground, but it's all I'm doing now
- listening for patterns in the sound of an endless static sea. ~ Conor Oberst

July 04, 2006

This series started in 1964 when Michael Apted decided to try a sort of social experiment. He wanted to test out the maxim: "Give me a boy at 7, and I will give you the man." This all starts from the premise that character is formed early on and set everyone up for their future. He also wanted to see what the generation that would be in charge in the year 2000 are like now (1964 at age 7). Here is the basic test: He asked 14 children from various socioeconomic backgrounds, and various parts of England, mostly surrounding London. Two of the boys were orphans living under the state, one boy was from a rural town where he was the only one his age. One was a girl from wealthy family, three girls from the middle class, three boys were from a prep school, and so on. Apted then asked them questions about what they wanted to be, if they were going to university, what they thought about marriage, and what they did in their spare time. They also set up a meeting in which all the kids attended a party and interacted at a playground. This first film is interesting but depends a lot on the directors narration rather than on a coherent story told by the children. The directors want to make the argument that one's socioeconomic background privileges the rich and is a disadvantage for the poor. At age 7 you can see some of this in the children.

We are lonesome animals. We spend all of our life trying to be less lonesome. One of our ancient methods is to tell a story begging the listener to say-and to feel- ‘Yes, that is the way it is, or at least that is the way I feel it.’ You’re not as alone as you thought. —John Steinbeck